New Blog Post

Good grief! I'm blogging. Actually...I was unable to upload a photo of my new haircut to Facebook, so I'm experimenting to see if it will upload to the blog!

Oh, yes, the creamy summer squash soup.....

I defrosted it and it was kinda sorta okay. I ended up mixing it in with a crockpot of chicken soup, and it added a nice thickness and flavour. So, we enjoyed the nutrients, but didn't have to endure the bland, pale yellow, pureed soup stuff. 'Wonder how that curried squash soup is faring in the freezer? To be continued......

How can bread dough turn that colour?

Ugh....in my last blog I talked about how I was making bread, the dough was happily rising, etc.

Well, I forgot about the blasted stuff in the fridge. When I rediscovered it, it had turned a very odd colour...and didn't smell too pleasant. Knowing it would clog up the garbage disposer and all of our circa 1950's plumbing, I decided I had better dispose of it in the trash. Whew.....that was some heavy bag of garbage.

Zuchs & Summer Squash

When I lived in Texas, I had glorious gardens filled with hot peppers, okra, snakes, and tomatoes. After moving to Vancouver, I dabbled in gardening for the first few years, but gave up when other interests took over. Well, this year I asked Bill to make me some raised beds as I wanted to try my hand at vegetable and herb gardening again. I planted green beans, basil, oregano, tomatoes (all shapes and sizes), zucchini, yellow summer squash, Walla Walla onions, dill, thyme, sage, parsley, bell peppers, hot peppers, carrots, radishes, blueberries, cilantro. The carrots developed into lovely feathery leaves, but nothing to eat so far. Radishes were pretty good. In fact everything turned out well except for the cilantro. It bolts too quickly and turns into bee food.

I didn't think the zuchs or squash would do well, but oh my they did. After harvesting some 10 lb beauties (they seemed that large) I figured I should get a special cookbook. I ordered The Classic Zucchini Cookbook from B&N. It contains 225 recipes for all kinds of squash, and it's amazing.

So far I've fixed: Baked Penne with Summer Squash and Mushrooms, Black Bean and Summer Squash Stew, Fettuccine Alfredo with Summer Vegetables, Summer Vegetable Saute with Sausage, and Zucchini Tomato Gratinee. Wow....!

I also fixed a couple of soups but froze them for later use.....Curried Summer Squash Soup and Creamy Yellow Summer Squash Soup. I'll let you know how they defrost and reheat up!

Today I decided to make bread too. I had purchased a great artisan bread book some time ago after reading Merilee's blog about bread making. It's been months since I made any. Fortunately I still had plenty of wheat flour, yeast, lukewarm water, and organic salt. The bread dough is happily rising as we speak. Once it self-deflates, it'll go into the fridge for up to two weeks. This is bread making at its simplest! Maybe I'll defrost some of that frozen squash soup to have with homemade bread one night this week. Is the weather looking frosty by any chance?

I'm back

I fuss at my friends for not updating their blogs more often.  And yet I'm the greatest offender.  Bad me. 

Food, Glorious Food!

So my Canadian buddy doesn't want her blog to turn into a food blog.  Well, well, well.  It never occurred to me to actually have a food blog.  What a wonderful idea!  I think I'll steal it from her (and Merilee).

Dinner tonight consisted of Angel Hair Pasta and White Bean Soup from the Skinny Soup Cookbook.  Yes, it was rather splendid.   Made a double batch so I don't have to cook as often.  Ha!  

Fast forward in time....

Came home from MIT quite peckish.  The glass of White Zin didn't fill me up so I turned to a familiar recipe from an old friend.  A delectable blend of brown and white rice (brown basmati and Jasmine white leftovers from yesterday) microzapped for precisely one minute.  Over the top of the rice, poured a can of reduced sodium black beans.  Juice and all.  Oh, man. So good!  Added a dollop of organic medium-heat salsa, and sprinkled with just a smidgeon of grated medium cheddar cheese.  YUM!  

Check back soon for more gourmet treats!

I have clever musical friends

Here are the Famous Toners!  They did a concert at Magenta on Sunday.  The pics are not very good as I used my cell phone in low lighting conditions.  In fact, in one photo, Dorinda has no face.  Apart from that, they were fabulous!  

My friends....

These are my friends.  Aren't they lovely?  Jeff was at the birthday party too, but he was in the kitchen at the time of this photo.  Oh, and Bill was playing with a blow-torch.  (Is that what they're called?)

Dorinda at Dorinda's Birthday Event

Here she is!  Ain't she just the purdiest little thing you ever saw?  Haute Couture at its best.  Not even remotely sure if I spelled that correctly, but what the hey diddle diddle......

Dorinda's Big Birthday Event at Ross

Okay, so this is a photo of me.  I need to see if Dorinda posts the one of her that Heidi took.  I would hate to steal her thunder and post the darling little snapshot.

What a great group of friends I have!

Um, I'm confused.....

Um, I'm confused, I've been tagged and I have to add the 6th picture from my photo files.  Well, the Magenta files show a headshot of Brooke.  So I went to my personal files and found this.  It's Ursula the Sea Witch.  I always, always, always wanted to dance in a show.  SO this is when I did.  It was a recital for Dance Fusion Northwest, performed at Skyview High School.  I had a blast. But I was SO nervous I think I almost fainted multiple times.  I guess it's been videotaped - good thing, because I don't remember much about it.  Just a lot of bright lights and a pounding tune of Dancing Queen in my ears.   Now I'm supposed to email or tag 6 people?  HOW?

I won't give in!

As some of you know, Sealegs! was rejected by Playscripts, Inc.

How thoughtless of them!  I mean, we are producing their Christmas show this year!

Anyway....it occurs to me that my scripts don't have enough profanity, sex, violence and diversity in them.  So, if I am to be published....I'll need to get more "earthy" and "hip".

Let's see.......in Oh, Baby, Baby! I guess I could have Jack get a body piercing.  And it wouldn't be in his navel.  

Twist & Shout.....oh, that one was too long ago to even worry about.

The Bitter End......ditto

Sealegs! Well I already thought it was cutting edge having cross-dressers.....  And I had a drunk in it!  And men-eaters!  Darn.

Once upon a Palace Purple.  I wonder how I can develop Panini's character into something more nefarious?  

Wait.....Eric and I are going to work on the script for Rumpelstiltskin.  We could make that dark and sinister!!!  

STOP!  No!  My conscience has kicked in.  I will not change my style to suit publishing companies who obviously don't have the class to see my work as being marketable.  

I won't give in!!

I love SEATTLE

Sleepless in Seattle?  No way.  We were laughing too much.  I was so excited to see Dorinda's blog with those happy photos.  Here's MY happy photo..... this was taken at The Cheesecake Factory.  Two types of amazing cheesecake.  I liked them both.

The cream was the best part........

LOL!

Monologs....

My pal and I spent two days at the PATA auditions.  We heard some very interesting monologs (or monologues if you prefer more letters).  But some of them were just awful.  I've often considered writing monologs as a way to get a thought out of my head, quickly.  I might just do that.  'Not having any luck getting full-length plays published.....maybe a book of monologs?  The only trouble is......my work won't contain all the gratuitous F-bombs and SH** expletives that seem to be rampant in today's theater.  

Dangola.....what a predicament.  I know!  I'll make up my own naughty words!

I finished reading a book

Well, I finished reading THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN.  It was cute, but I found the ending to be a little unbelievable.  Could I write something like this?  No.  It's a book.  I don't write books.  I write plays.

Was it everything I was told it would be?  Not really.  Again, it was cute.

So I've spent two days reading a "cute" book.

Now to find something meaty.......something that will be the catalyst to me sitting down at my Mac and actually writing.....

Dorinda has given me a bunch of books.  I bet one of those is meaty.  Naughty most likely......

It's raining and I need to write...

I have all these great ideas for plays.  Then I remember the advice I was given once - read, read, read.  So, I went to Goodwill and Salvation Army, perusing their used book sections.  Now, keep in mind I already have shelves of unread books.  Books from book-swapping parties, books that have been loaned to me, books I've bought at Costco because the price was just SO good.

I digress.

So, if you read, read, read - many different types of books, then it will stimulate the creative brain cells that are waiting to dive into a new play.

I started a book by David Baldacci, an author my mother-in-law recommended.  It's called THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN.  Yes, I know, Christmas has passed.  I'm preparing for Christmas 2009.  It's a good read.  But then, I'm also reading MARLEY AND ME.  Trying to not get the two confused.  

But whenever I read, I fall asleep.  MAKE TEA.  Tea with caffeine.  

SIGH......I'll just watch a dvd.  But a dvd about a writer.  Yes, that'll count!

WILDE - an odd little movie.  Not sure I liked it.

SIGH, now I'm worrying about all the tenses I'm switching between just writing this blog!  I need to mute that darn little editor who lives in my head.

Now can you see why I get nothing done?